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Buying an election with your money

Scheme involving Lockheed martin marks a new political low

We don’t mince words here, and we won’t now: The Obama administration is trying to buy this election.

Defense contractors are obliged under federal law to send out notices of possible layoffs to their employees within 60 days of potential layoffs – in this case, in the face of massive impending cuts to federal defense spending at the end of the year.

But because Lockheed Martin’s layoff notices to 123,000 workers would come just days before the November election, the Obama administration has been working hard to avoid the unpleasantness. And it appears to have found a way.

A very dubious, likely illegal way.

The administration has asked Lockheed Martin to ignore the federal law and not send out the layoff notices before the election. Moreover, the administration has offered to use taxpayer money to hold Lockheed Martin harmless if there are financial repercussions from violating the law.

Have you ever? Has a presidential administration ever more blatantly and publicly and shamelessly encouraged lawlessness – or for more transparent political gain?

Many of the workers who would get notices, you see, live in Virginia – a very key swing state in this election.

So, yes: The Obama administration is trying to use your money to purchase Virginia’s support in November.

Even if defense contractor employees fall for that ruse and help get Mr. Obama re-elected, what might their future look like under a second Obama term? Do they think this president is bullish on defense? Do they think a commander in chief who watched on as the defense industry was pushed to this brink will be its champion when he has no more elections to curry favor for?

Ignoring laws is nothing new for this administration. It also unilaterally decided not to enforce the Defense of Marriage Act, and to extend amnesty to certain illegal aliens even though Congress has expressly decided not to do so.

But encouraging others to ignore the law is a new low.

Look for more of the same extra-constitutional imperiousness should the gambit in Virgina bear fruit.